Tufting device for air mattresses or cushions.



No. 690,!07. Patented Dec. 3|, IBM. 8. C. HENDERSON.

TUFTING DEVICE FOR-AIR MATTRESSES 0R CUSHIONS.

(Application filed Jan. 10,1900. Renewed June 10, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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FFICE.

CHARLES C. HENDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES W. MARTIN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TUFTlNG DEVICE FOR AIR MATTRESSES OR CUSHIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,107, dated December 31, 1901. Application filed January 10, 1900. Renewed June 10, 190].- Serial No. 63,997. (No model.)

To to whom it may concern.-

.Be it known that I, CHARLES C. HENDER- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TuftingDevices forAirMattresses or Cushions, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to improve- Io ments in pneumatic mattresses and cushions,

and especially to the means for tufting or staying the upper and lower sides of such articles, so that they will retain their shape.

The objects of my improvements are to prot'5 vide means of simple and economical construction and easy application which will effectively stay the rubber cloth forming the mattress proper and firmly hold the fabric forming the cover therefor, which will secure an air-tight joint around the tufting-button where it passes through the rubber cloth, permit the ready removal of the cover when it becomes worn or needs repair without disturbing the mattress proper, cause the strain when in use to bear chiefly on the cover fabric instead of on the rubber cloth, prevent the leakage of air through the button itself, distribute the strain from the internal air-pressure over a considerable area instead of confining it to the material immediately about the shank of the button, and which will subserve other advantages and economies which will hereinafter appear.

In tufting devices heretofore employed in 5 air-mattresses dependence for an air-tight joint has been had upon compressing the rubber cloth around the opening made by the button-stem between the head and the base of the button, depressions being provided in such parts and washers being used in some instances. It has been found impossible to maintain a tight joint between the rubber cloth and the adjacent metal washer by more pressure, owing to the gradual creeping of the 5 rubber cloth under the constantly-varying strain resulting from the pulling and twisting to which the cloth forming the mattress is subjected. As it is important to make the tufting devices light in weight, aluminium has been used to form the buttons, and it has been found that where the metal is thin its porosity permits a leakage of the air under pressure. As will hereinafter appear in detail,

I do not depend upon mere pressure to obtain an air-tight joint, and while Iemploy aluminium in the button I so protect it that no leakage through the metal is possible.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application, Figure l isa view, partly in section, of two tufting devices made in accordance with my invention, showing their relative arrangement in a mattress. Fig. 2 is a view, partlyin elevation and partly in vertical section, of the tufting-button. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the tufting-button, 63 and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the base of the tufting-button forming a part of my invention, the same being rectangular in outline with flat parallel upper and lower faces,audpreferablymadeofaluminium. Secured to the said base and extending therefrom vertically is a threaded shank or stem at, which is preferably made of steel and may be secured to the base in any desirable manner. Screwed upon the upper portion of the stem is a cap B, preferably made of brass or other material of considerable density, the said cap having its upper part cylindrical and threaded, as at b, and its lower part flanged or formed with an enlarged base 11 the latter having squared faces to facilitate its being gripped by a wrench. Said cap is bored vertically at its center and the bore threaded to receive the stem a, said bore extending only partially through the vertical diameter 0 of the cap. The button-top C is perforated and threaded to adapt it to be screwed on the annular threads I) of the cap B, and said top is preferably made of aluminium. Fit- 9o ting over the stem at is a rubber washer E of slightly larger diameter than the base b of the cap B, against which it bears when the cap is screwed down.

The device further consists of two stays F, 5 formed of a fabric of suitable strength, the end portions of which are covered with rubher. The corresponding rubber-covered ends of the stays are placed over the stem by forcing the latter therethrough, so that they lap :00

over the edges of the base A of the button, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

In assembling or applying my improved de vice the stem is first forced through the rubber-covered ends of the stays F, small holes being made for that purpose. The stem is then forced through the rubber cloth H, which constitutes the mattress proper. Then the rubber WasherE is applied to the stem, so that its lower face is in contact with said rubber cloth. The cap Bis then screwed down upon the stem until its base presses firmly against the upper side of the rubber Washer E. The cover G is then placed over the cap, a suitable opening being made for the latter, and the button-top O is then screwed onto the cap B. a

It will be noted that the lower portion of the cap B is not exteriorly threaded and is of enlarged diameter, thus limiting the distance that the button-top may be screwed downwardly, so'that a space is left between the bottom of the button-top G and the upper face of the enlarged base of the cap B. This construction and arrangement permits shorter lines on the cover between the various buttons in a mattress than on the rubber cloth H, as will readily appear, and so causes the chief strain to bear on the cover and correspondingly relieves the mattress material or rubber cloth, it being understood that the strain now referred to is that resulting from the weight of the person on a mattress.

In the construction and arrangement above described it will appear that on the lower side of the cloth H, where the danger of leakage is greatest, there are two thicknesses of rubber-viz., the two rubber-covered ends of the staysand on the upper side of the said cloth and in contact therewith there is the rubber washer E. When the parts are assembled in this shape, I subject them to vulcanization, causing a firm adherence of the contiguous rubber faces for a considerable area around the'stem a, and thus effecting a homogeneity of the several layers of rubber, which produces a perfectly air-tight joint. It will also or along the stem, it will be caught in the recess in the cap B, the latter, as above stated, being made of a dense metal or material, practically air-proof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a tufting device, a button composed of a base portion, a solid threaded stem secured to said base, an exteriorly-threaded cap havingan interiorly threaded socket to receive a portion of said stem, a top having a threaded opening therethrough to receive said cap, and means for connecting the bases of two oppositely-placed buttons, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tufting device, the combination of a button composed of a rectangular base, a threaded stem secured to said base, a cap fitting said stem and internally threaded to re ceive said stem, and externally threaded, a button-top fitting said cap on its externally threaded portion, with a rubber Washer be tween the said cap and base, and stays hav ing rubber-covered end portions surrounding said stem, overlapping and interposed between said rubber washerand the base of the button, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES C. HENDERSON. l/Vitnessesz O. H. MoOoNoUeHEY, JOHN S. BUTLER. 

